On the Mend
by Alicat621
Summary: Pairing: Addisex. Still recovering from her divorce, Addison tries to not follow in the footsteps of other attendings by fighting the temptation to begin a relationship with an intern.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I have officially jumped on the Addisex bandwagon! I'm tired of Addie being cast aside by both Derek and, since he also cheated on her and continues to pursue other women, Mark; I think it's time she had a new man in her life. A word of warning, though; I'm far from being a fan of Merder, and Derek in particular at the moment, so they're going to get beaten up pretty badly in this fic. If you're a fan and don't want to see them suffer, don't continue reading. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy it! 

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**Chapter 1**

He missed her. She had been right, but he didn't want to admit it. Who would have thought that, after the torture he went through at her hands, upon regaining his freedom, he would actually miss her? Maybe he was a glutton for punishment.

Alex took another sip of his coffee and pretended to do the crossword puzzle in front of him. He'd never been one to actually do the crossword, but people left him alone when they saw it and he could allow his mind to continue wandering. Professionally, he had every right to miss her. He hated learning about the ins and outs of gynecology and obstetrics, but at least he was learning. With Sloane, he may actually be working in the field he wanted, but all he did was answer phones and get coffee. What kind of plastic surgeon would he end up being if all he ever learned was how to organize Sloane's files? Despite his many protests, Alex realized that he never learned more from an attending than he did from Addison Montgomery. For that reason alone, no one would blame him for missing her.

Yet, trying to be honest with himself, Alex realized that he didn't miss her for professional reasons. He missed working with her for reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with medical skill per se. He missed how she never failed to put the most nervous expectant mothers at ease with her gentle nature. He missed the way her compassion always led her to go above and beyond what was necessary for the comfort and safety of her patient. He missed the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed. He just missed _her_.

As Alex continued to let his mind wander, his imagination took over and he began picturing himself with the attending in a less than professional capacity. Surprisingly enough, his thoughts were far from raunchy; he was actually picturing a real relationship with her. He imagined the two of them spending time together, making each other smile and laugh, holding hands as they walked down the street together. He pictured them watching television, her head on his shoulder, sharing a bowl of popcorn. He was shocked and more than a little embarrassed by the tame and domestic nature of his daydreams, but they were his thoughts and no one had to know.

What did all this mean? Alex didn't remember having ever felt this way about a single woman before. He loved women and enjoyed being with them, but it was always in a general sense, as if choosing to commit to one would mean denying himself the pleasure of the others. His feelings for Izzie had come close, but in the end, they had frightened him more than anything else and he chose instead to sabotage his chances.

These daydreams didn't frighten him, though. Alex wanted these daydreams to be real, wanted the chance to commit to this woman and forget about the others. He knew the idea was absurd, that it was never going to happen, but instead of feeling relieved, Alex felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. For the first time, he realized that he had developed genuine feelings for Addison, but he no longer saw her on a daily basis and there was nothing he could do about it. He had finally gotten his wish, but he hadn't realized how far it was from what he actually wanted until it was too late.

"Four across is perspicacious," a voice said from behind him. It took Alex a moment to understand what she was saying; he had completely forgotten about the puzzle in his hands and the star of his daydreams had suddenly materialized and sat down beside him. He finally managed an intelligible, "Huh?"

"Four across?" Addison prodded as she slid a chocolate chip muffin towards the confused intern, "'Having keen perception'? It's 'perspicacious'."

Alex's brain finally started functioning again. "Oh, right. Who puts a word like 'perspicacious' on a crossword puzzle?" He feigned frustration and threw down the paper and his pen. He was flustered, worried that Addison could somehow tell what he was thinking by the look on his face. He nodded his thanks as he took a bite out of his muffin.

"You looked like you could use it," she answered before digging into her own banana nut muffin and changing the subject, "I heard you're not happy with Dr. Sloane. Is plastic surgery not what it's cracked up to be?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm sure that plastics is a great field full of fascinating things to learn. The problem is, since working for him, I've only ever learned how Dr. Sloane likes his coffee."

Addison tried to hide the smile forming on her lips. She had heard the rumours and knew that Mark was being his usual bastard self, using the interns as his personal assistants rather than teaching them his field. She may have fancied herself in love with him but she was never blind to his faults; Mark Sloane was a horrible teacher because he never thought very far beyond his own needs and accomplishments.

The truth was, she missed Alex. She enjoyed having him work for her; he was a challenging student and she enjoyed a challenge. It wasn't that he wasn't talented, because he was; however, he never seemed to want to learn or appreciate learning the lessons she taught and that always made it harder for a teacher to impart knowledge on students. An eager student is always such a joy to teach, but successfully teaching a reluctant student makes the result so much more rewarding.

But, to be honest, Addison's reasons for missing Alex weren't entirely professional. She missed his cocky attitude, so frustrating to deal with and yet sort of appealing. Cockiness was a sign of confidence and every great doctor would tell you that confidence was a big part of their job. She had always been drawn to the over-confident types, finding their attitude a little more than mildly attractive; it certainly explained her relationships with Derek and Mark. Yet, with Alex, the confidence was also mixed in with begrudging respect, as if there was some internal struggle between considering himself too good for her field and knowing that he could learn a lot from her.

Yes, she supposed it was safe to admit, if only to herself, that she had a small crush on Alex Karev. There was nothing wrong with having a crush on an intern, a much younger intern, as long as she didn't act on it, right? She didn't know when it had started, only that she had gone very quickly from despising him to being intrigued by him. She was sorry to release him from her service, since it meant that she would no longer get to work with him on a daily basis, but she had to remain professional. He wanted to be in plastics and it wasn't fair for her to make him continue to work with her simply because she liked being around him.

"Do you want me to talk to him? Get him to actually let you in on some surgeries?"

Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Why would you be willing to do that?"

It was Addison's turn to roll her eyes, "You're a good doctor, Karev. I wouldn't have spent so much time trying to teach you if I didn't think you had talent. I would hate to see all that talent wasted at a local Starbucks."

Alex was pleased with the compliment but shook his head, "No, I'm gonna pay my dues like everyone else. I don't want my boss to do me any favours because the woman he's trying to impress asked him to. I want him to work with me based on my own merits."

Addison nodded her head, her respect for the intern continuing to grow. "Alright, then, good luck dealing with Dr. Sloane. I hope your situation changes for the better. However, if you ever decide that you're sick of running errands for him and want to scrub in on an actual surgery, I might have a C-section or two that could use an intern." With those parting words, she gathered up the rest of her muffin and walked away, leaving Alex staring behind her with a grin on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Mark Sloane was on the warpath. He was in a bad mood, and when Mark Sloane was in a bad mood, he made sure that everyone felt his displeasure. Callie had turned him down once again, Addison was avoiding him like the plague, and Derek was flaunting his rediscovered relationship with his girlfriend/dirty mistress in plain sight. It never ceased to anger him to see that Derek was somehow able to find happiness while the people he carelessly mowed down in his pursuit were left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives on their own.

For years, he watched as Derek ignored and neglected his wife, choosing instead to further his career and expecting her to wait patiently for any scraps of attention he cared to toss in her direction. He would miss birthdays, anniversaries and other important milestones while she would continue to make excuses for him to herself and to anyone else who would listen. Mark remembered how she tried not to be embarrassed as she attempted to explain to friends and family why an optional surgery was more important than his own cousin's wedding. He recalled how she stood awkwardly by herself at the birthday party she had spent weeks planning for him because he didn't ask her to reschedule before he agreed to give a guest lecture at Columbia. And, he never forgot the way she stood drenched in the rain outside the airport, her suitcase at her feet, having been waiting for the last three hours because her husband didn't pick her up after her week-long conference and put off asking his friend to go in his place until long after the plane had landed. Derek had gradually destroyed his wife over a period of years and Mark had had a front row seat.

It was for this reason that he had first decided to pursue Addison. It wasn't that he didn't care about her, because he did; he may even have loved her in his own way. But, he had always known in his heart that he would be unable to settle down in a serious relationship with her and a woman like Addison deserved so much more than a man who would always be looking over her shoulder for the next set of shapely legs or swaying hips. However, she also deserved to have a man in her life who appreciated her for who she was, who knew how to treat her and make her feel special. What she didn't deserve was to be thrown aside like day-old bread.

So, Mark was determined to be that man. He was tired of seeing her hide the tears of loneliness that threatened to spill down her cheeks every time Derek rejected her attempts to reconnect with him. He wanted to make her laugh again, to see the way she used to light up a room just by flashing her dazzling smile. He knew deep down that it likely wouldn't last, but for a brief period of time, he wanted to remind Addison what it felt like to be happy.

In retrospect, perhaps sleeping with his best friend's wife had not been the best idea. In the end, Derek had come out looking like the victim and everyone despised both Mark and Addison for having betrayed the hardworking doctor who had done nothing more than try to provide for his family. Their treachery had driven him from New York and forced him to make a new life for himself in Seattle, clear on the other side of the country. As if that weren't bad enough, they had to follow him there, preventing him from mending his broken heart and finding true love and happiness with his soulmate.

Now, Prince Charming had finally won his maiden fair and they could have their happily ever after. The wicked witch Addison would be left to suffer all alone as she so rightfully deserved and the malevolent ogre Mark would end up without his princess and without his friend. Good would triumph and evil would perish; that was the way all fairytales ended and the romantic legend of McDreamy and his beautiful damsel would be no exception.

And so, Mark Sloane was miserable. He was tired of being cast as the villain while everyone extolled the virtues of the great Derek Shepherd. He hated that Derek, who spent a year pretending to try to save his marriage while he not-so-discretely pursued another woman, was considered to be an honourable man while he was written off as a skirt-chaser and a womanizer. Well, misery loves company and, before the end of the day, Mark wanted to be sure that he wasn't the only one in a foul mood. Stomping down the hall, he finally found his first victim.

"Karev!" he yelled, heading towards his intern, "Where the hell are those labs I ordered? I wanted them fifteen minutes ago! You really think I'll let you scrub in on a surgery when you can't even do something as simple as pick up some labs? How the hell did you get through med school?"

Mark stopped talking when he realized that the younger man wasn't paying attention to anything he was saying. He followed his gaze and both men watched as Addison backed slowly out of the on-call room, shutting the door quietly to not alert the inhabitants of her presence. She tried to appear nonchalant but neither man missed the tears glistening in her eyes as she hurried past them. Before Mark could even react, Alex tore off down the corridor after her and disappeared around the corner.

Mark thought about chasing after her as well, but this opportunity was just too good to pass up. He headed for the same door that Addison had just closed, having no doubt of what he would find on the other side. He only hesitated for a moment before loudly throwing it open and the lights on to reveal a squealing, naked Meredith and a livid, equally-naked Derek trying to quickly recover from their throes of passion. As Derek attempted to use his body to shield Meredith's nude form from the suddenly crowded area outside the room, Mark thought with sadistic pleasure about how he had successfully accomplished his mission of spreading his misery.

"You know," he said loudly enough for all the nurses and doctors in the area to hear, "If you're going to engage in such lewd and unprofessional behaviour in a work, not to mention public, environment, the least you could do is lock the door."

With an arrogant smirk, he turned around and walked away, leaving the door wide open behind him.

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Addison had no idea how she had gotten there, the last few minutes having been a blur, but she found herself in the stairwell with Alex's arms wrapped around her. The thought flashed across her mind that this was inappropriate behaviour for an attending and an intern, but she was too busy sobbing in his shoulder to pay too much attention. Besides, there were interns and attendings exhibiting far more inappropriate behaviour at that precise moment, so what they were doing seemed inconsequential in comparison.

Alex didn't know what had compelled him to run after her like that. He had been watching her for a while, as he had been in the habit of doing lately, his eyes following her every move. He had seen her head towards the on-call room but was surprised when she paused at the door without going in. It had taken him a moment before he realized what she must have seen on the other side and, when she quickly brushed past him, he felt the need to follow. He vaguely remembered the presence of Mark Sloane but had no idea what he had been saying or if he had been talking at all. The only thing he knew at that moment was that Addison needed comfort and he wanted to be the one to provide it for her.

_Addison, you are certainly class personified_, he thought. Anyone else in her position, having just walked in on her ex-husband and his current lover in their common place of employment, would have screamed or thrown something at them. She might have yelled at them for their insensitivity or made biting remarks about their level of professionalism. At the very least, she would have made her presence known. Not Addison, though; she simply closed the door behind her and let them continue with their activities, oblivious to her pain.

As Alex ran his hand up and down her back, silently offering her the support she craved, Addison was struck by how soothing it felt to be in his arms. She didn't feel pressured into holding back, he gave her the time and the opportunity to release all the pent-up anguish that she had been feeling. Alex made her feel safe and secure, something she hadn't felt in a very long time. Gone was the loneliness that had been such a heavy weight on her shoulders; she finally felt like she had someone who would take care of her and look out for her.

Finally, her sobs subsided and she pulled away. They both instantly missed the warmth their close contact had provided.

"I'm sorry," she said, not meeting his gaze.

"Why?" he asked, gently wiping the tears falling down her cheek with his thumb. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Addison took a deep breath. "I'm at work, crying on a co-worker's shoulder in the middle of the work day. That just screams professional."

Alex shrugged, "Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on so why shouldn't you cry on mine? Besides, I'm willing to bet a year's salary that what we're doing isn't nearly as unprofessional as what you saw in the on-call room."

An image of Meredith and Derek in a coital embrace ran through her mind again, but to Addison's surprise, a giggle escaped her lips rather than a sob. The painful clenching that she had expected to feel around her heart was nothing more than a dull, manageable ache. For his part, Alex felt proud that he was able to make her laugh again.

"It's not like I didn't know they were together," Addison explained, "I just never wanted to be privy to such graphic proof of it."

"Dude, no one wants to see that much of them."

Once again, Addison chuckled and Alex felt his heart start to race. _God, she's beautiful when she smiles_, he thought. Even now, with her hair in disarray, her eyes red and puffy from crying, tears spilling down her cheeks, she was the most stunning woman he had ever seen.

Addison noticed him staring and misunderstood. "I must look a fright, huh?"

"No, you look great! I mean, it's not great that you've been crying but you don't look scary or anything. I mean, not that you ever look scary. I mean...," he stammered, his voice trailing off. _What is wrong with me? When did I become this blubbering idiot?_ He took a deep breath and finally went for honesty. "I like seeing you smile and was trying to figure out how to get you to do it again."

Addison stared at him for a moment, stunned by his rant. The usually arrogant attitude of the intern was gone and she wondered momentarily what had caused his sudden nervousness. Though he might have thought that he had sounded stupid, it was probably one of the sweetest things she had heard in a long time. A ghost of a smile appeared across her face.

"Thank you, Alex," she said. She leaned over and gave him a light peck on the cheek before walking away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The whispering and snickering hadn't stopped all day and Meredith wanted to die of embarrassment. Half the hospital had seen her naked and the other half was aware of what had transpired. Izzie couldn't stop laughing at her while George couldn't look her in the eye without turning red. Cristina kept her reaction to a couple of snide comments before letting the matter drop completely but it was Alex's reaction that puzzled her the most.

Meredith had expected an endless string of innuendos from the normally obnoxious intern, but all she got was silence. At certain times, she thought that Alex was glaring at her, but that had to be her imagination. Why would Alex be mad at her? It's not like she had done anything wrong. Sure, it was mildly inappropriate for her to have been caught having sex in the on-call room, but Derek was now her boyfriend and she was no longer the dirty mistress. Besides, even if she were still the dirty mistress, that was no reason for Alex to be angry with her; it's not like she was hurting anybody. Well, Addison might have heard the rumours and been hurt by them, but she cheated first and it's not as if she walked in on them. Even if she had, Derek didn't deserve to have walked in on her and Mark, so Meredith convinced herself that she didn't need to feel bad. Besides, she and Derek were finally happy and that was all that mattered.

Except that, at this precise moment, Meredith wasn't happy because she was going through the shift from hell. Bailey, being Bailey, had undoubtedly heard about what had happened and decided to exact a little revenge for her best friend. Or, maybe she was just punishing Meredith for embarrassing her once again with her behaviour. Whatever the reason, the resident had been running her ragged all day, making her do all manner of disgusting things.

Meredith dropped her lunch tray onto the table and fell dramatically into the chair. It was a beautiful day and her friends just couldn't bear to spend their lunch break cooped up in Really Old Guy's room. Cristina split her time between bragging about landing a rare surgery and burying her nose in a textbook in preparation while Izzie had her shades on, enjoying the rays more than any health professional ever should. Meredith tried not to notice that Alex barely looked up to greet her as she sat down, turning instead to George to complain.

"You _so_ don't want to know what I've been doing all morning."

George shrugged, "I was stuck doing sutures. Can't get much more dull than that."

"Dull?" Meredith asked incredulously, "I miss 'dull'. I crave 'dull'. I'd give anything for 'dull'. Try 'disgusting' and 'gag reflex-inducing'."

"Did you have to spend all day sifting through piles of crap, fishing for Monopoly pieces?" Cristina asked, still not looking up from her book, "Cuz, that's what I had to do when I ticked off Bailey."

Meredith paused for a second. "Okay, maybe not quite that disgusting, but it's debatable. I've been puked on all morning by children suffering from a nasty case of the stomach flu. And that's not simple, tidy, right-into-the-bucket puke. No, I'm talking in-the-face projectile vomiting. I must have taken a dozen showers and gone through as many sets of scrubs."

"That's what you get for getting on the Nazi's bad side," Izzie piped in.

"I don't understand why it should bother her that much. It's not like it had anything to do with her. I don't even know how she found out."

"C'mon, Mer, you're her intern and you were caught in a compromising position on hospital property," George reasoned, "It's an embarrassment to her position of authority, says she can't control her own interns."

"It's not like I'm the only one to ever have sex in the on-call room!" she argued.

"Maybe not, but you're the only one to ever have been seen doing it by doctors, nurses, and patients. That could be a malpractice suit waiting to happen," Izzie added, "It's exactly what this hospital needs, a patient saying that you and McDreamy were too busy getting it on to give him the proper care."

Meredith sat back in her chair and pouted. "This is all McSteamy's fault. If he hadn't made such a big deal when he accidentally walked in on us, then no one would've known."

"You have got to be kidding me!" Alex snorted, unable to take any more of Meredith's whining, "You were having sex in an on-call room, with the door unlocked, right across from the busiest nurses' station in the hospital. Did you seriously think that no one knew what you were doing?"

"You weren't even there, Alex," Meredith stated defensively, "How would you know what happened?"

"I was right outside the door, Meredith. Just because I left without making a scene doesn't mean I didn't know what you were doing." Alex didn't mention Addison's presence, knowing that Meredith would just use her as another scapegoat for her misery. "And you know what else? Sloane was with me in the hall. He didn't accidentally walk in on you. He knew exactly what he would find when he opened that door."

She stared at him incredulously, "You mean he planned to humiliate us like that? Why?"

Alex shrugged nonchalantly, "Because he's a jerk? Because you gave him the opportunity by having sex at work? Because you weren't even discrete enough to lock the door? You can take your pick but I'd go with all of the above."

"God, why can't he just leave Derek alone? Hasn't he done enough to ruin his life? What has Derek ever done to deserve such a backstabbing, wife-stealing maniac as his best friend? If someone sues, it'll be all his fault."

Alex watched as Meredith continued to blame everything wrong with her life on Mark Sloane, completely oblivious to anyone's pain but her own. Every time he saw her, he remembered holding a crying Addison in his arms and his blood began to boil. It never occurred to Meredith that she may have hurt Addison or embarrassed Bailey; she was just mortified for herself and angry because she was being punished. She didn't seem to understand that, considering where she was and what she was supposed to be doing, her actions were entirely inappropriate and she deserved to be reprimanded. As far as she was concerned, she was the one who had been wronged and should not be made to suffer any further.

"There's no way that Bailey can be more embarrassed than I am," Meredith was now saying, "I'm the one that everyone saw naked."

"Yours was a personal humiliation; unpleasant, yes, but you'll get over it," Cristina explained, "Hers was a professional embarrassment. First Izzie, then me, and now you; you don't think her colleagues and superiors are starting to notice a pattern? Can you imagine having your abilities as a resident and a teacher questioned?"

"Besides," Izzie added, "Dr. Montgomery is her best friend. How did you expect her to react?"

Meredith dropped her head into her hands, her elbows resting on the table. "Even though the marriage is over, she can still manage to wreak havoc on my love life. When will she leave us alone?"

Alex tuned out again when Meredith started to blame all her problems on Addison. It didn't seem to matter to her that she had won in the end and gotten what she wanted. Never mind that she got to go home with McDreamy while Addison was still trying to find a place to call her own. It wasn't important that Addison had recently seen the end of the marriage she had tried so hard to save and was now in the humiliating position of being pitied by her co-workers. _Meredith _was still the victim, _Meredith _was still suffering. This latest incident was just further proof that the whole world was against her.

Shepherd, on the other hand, was strutting around like a peacock. He had been livid at first, but when he noticed the admiring glances from some of his male co-workers, his scowl transformed into an arrogant smirk. He made a show of being angry at Sloane for his stunt and of being concerned for what Addison may have heard, but then spent the morning swaggering through the hospital. He had the decency to apologize to the Chief for once again behaving improperly in front of the staff and assured him that it would never happen again, but anyone with eyes could see that he wasn't really sorry.

Alex was glad that Addison was finally free of that man; she may still have residual feelings for him but they'll pass, especially if he continued to act the way he has been. Alex never could understand what she saw in her husband in the first place, but maybe he was different when they met. Then again, with a best friend like Mark Sloane, how different could he have been? Addison deserved better than either of those two men; she deserved someone who would treat her like she's the best thing that every happened to him because, for all intents and purposes, she probably would be. Alex didn't think he deserved her either, but he knew now that he wanted the chance to prove that he could treat her the way she should be treated.

He didn't know when he decided to actively pursue her. He had always considered her to be way out of his league but, in the last few days, something seemed to have changed. Perhaps it was because she gave him a muffin and offered to help him with Sloane. Maybe it was because she chuckled at his lame jokes. Or, it could be because she finally let her guard down and allowed him to hold and comfort her as she cried. Whatever the reason, there seemed to be a shift in their relationship; Addison was still amazingly beautiful, unbelievably talented and the epitome of style and grace, but his dream of being with her now seemed just a little more attainable. So, Alex was going to take a chance and go after what he wanted, the opportunity to be with the woman he just couldn't get out of his mind. He was going to try to show her how truly incredible she was, how lucky any guy would be to have her. If he had his way, she would never be made to feel unwanted and neglected again. One day, Addison would find happiness with someone who treated her with love and respect and he was going to make damn sure that someone was him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Alex stood out of sight, partially hidden by the large pillar on which he was leaning. Any casual observer who happened to notice him would have thought that he was simply reading the chart in his hands. But then, the casual observer probably wouldn't have noticed him at all, since he had chosen this spot with great care. Alex wanted to park himself in a location where he could see what was about to happen without anyone else being aware of his presence.

Directly in his line of sight was the nurses' station on which was perched the most obnoxiously loud assortment of flowers anyone had ever seen. He didn't need any hints to determine the identities of the sender and the intended recipient, but he was curious as to how the flowers would be received. He didn't think such a showy gift would be at all appreciated, particularly by a woman who seemed to be trying to hide herself from the prying eyes of her co-workers. If anything, he guessed that Addison would be aggravated by such a display.

_Here we go_, he thought to himself as the neo-natal attending stepped out of a patient's room and was immediately flagged down by Debbie. He nearly laughed out loud at the look of annoyance on her face when she saw the blindingly large arrangement. He was pleased that he had been right in his assessment; after everything that she had been through, Addison obviously didn't want to be the center of attention anymore and preferred to keep things more professional at the hospital.

"These came for you about an hour ago, Dr. Montgomery," Debbie was saying, "Aren't they absolutely beautiful?"

Addison looked at the nurse as if she'd grown another head. "Yes, well, they certainly are _something_."

"Aren't you going to look at the card?" Debbie prodded.

When Addison made no move to reach for the card, she continued, "They're from Dr. Sloane. He also wrote a lovely poem. Just a short rhyming couplet, very romantic."

Addison raised an eyebrow at the nurse's comment but didn't respond. It shouldn't have surprised her that she had read the card; nothing at Seattle Grace ever remained private anymore. She had tried to keep herself out of the gossip mill, but Mark was definitely not doing her any favours by sending her gifts like these. Just the week before, he had flooded the neo-natal ward with balloons. For the rest of the week, there had been nonstop speculation on whether such a grand romantic gesture would be enough to win her over.

Debbie was still watching her, hoping for more of a reaction. "Tell you what," Addison finally said, "Since you're such a fan of the poem, why don't you keep it? I really don't need to see it."

"Are you sure? Shouldn't you at least read what it says?"

Addison shook her head, "Oh, I think the flowers make enough of a statement without the card."

The nurse was disappointed but she wasn't giving up so easily. Come hell or high water, she was going to have news to bring back to her fellow rumour-mongers. "What are you going to do with them? Keep them in your office?"

A look of horror flashed across the surgeon's face as she imagined the monstrosity taking up half her desk. "Er, no, I think I'll give them to a patient." She looked at the bouquet again and amended, "Several patients."

Alex watched in amusement as Addison wrestled with the flowers, knocking half the charts and binders at the station onto the floor, spilling water from the vase. Finally, she succeeded in separating them into three, still very large bouquets. He thought he heard her mumbling under her breath about gratuitous displays and overcompensating, but from where he was standing, he couldn't be sure. She left instructions for the nurses to leave the newly-separated bouquets in the rooms of a few particularly nervous expectant mothers and walked away without another glance.

He supposed he would have been more jealous if his rival had shown the least little consideration of what Addison actually wanted. If Sloane had been at all sensitive to her needs and wishes, Alex might have been a bit more concerned. However, having seen firsthand the way these extravagant spectacles were being received, he knew he had nothing to worry about. With the show over, he closed his chart and slipped away, his presence never having once been noticed.

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Addison walked into her office to find a single deep red rose sitting on her desk. The card attached to the bloom simply had two words on it: _Say yes_. She smiled, sat down in her chair, picked up the rose to inhale its sweet aroma and think about the one who had left her the surprise.

Alex had been so sweet ever since the incident in the stairwell. At first, he would simply bring her coffee in the morning and make sure that she was alright. Then, she would find a salad in her office around lunchtime or a cookie had already been paid for when she went to the coffee cart for a snack. If she got off work really late at night, she would see him waiting to walk her to her car and he would stay to make sure that it started before walking back inside.

It wasn't until she found the tiny box of chocolate truffles in her locker that she realized he was pursuing her. After that, the gifts took on a more romantic nature: a small bouquet of flowers was delivered to her new apartment on the day she moved in, a heart-shaped cupcake found its way onto her lunch tray, a tiny teddy bear suddenly appeared outside the neo-natal ICU. The gifts were always anonymous and inconspicuous, so no one in the hospital was the wiser.

She looked down again at the single rose and smiled, silently thanking Alex for his thoughtfulness. After the eyesore she had received that morning, the elegant simplicity of his gift touched her even more. There was something about Mark's gifts that rubbed her the wrong way; it was almost as if he didn't actually care if she liked them, as if the goal wasn't to impress her but to dazzle and upstage. While Mark's attempts to pursue her were attention-seeking in nature, Alex's small gestures seemed to be about _her_. He never did anything to put the spotlight on himself, preferring instead to have her as an audience of one. His gifts were never meant to cater to the masses; their purpose was simply to win her over, not to draw a crowd.

Addison appreciated Alex's discretion but really didn't know how to respond. The biggest issue in her mind was the fact that he was still in the middle of his internship and she was an attending. She refused to walk down the same path as her ex-husband, blurring the line between professional and personal to such an extent that it was ruining both his reputation and that of his girlfriend. People were starting to question his professionalism and Meredith's abilities as a surgeon, wondering if she really deserved to be in surgeries or if she was getting special treatment. They didn't seem to care for the time being, blissfully oblivious in their fairytale love, but such a blemish on their careers may come back to haunt them one day. Addison personally didn't doubt his skill, but she never wanted anyone else to question Alex's abilities because of her.

Another problem was the Seattle Grace gossip factory. She had never worked in a hospital with such a rampant rumour mill in her entire career. After the last year of humiliation, Addison didn't ever want to put her life on such public display again, but dating someone who worked in the same hospital would make that almost unavoidable. It was bad enough that there was speculation of when she would get back together with Mark, something that would never happen as far as she was concerned, but with the latest fiasco between her ex-husband and his girlfriend, everyone was watching her like a hawk, waiting for her reaction. What she needed to do was keep as low a profile as possible so that they would just forget about her and move on to something more interesting.

On a more personal note, Addison wasn't sure if she was ready to date again. Her divorce was finalized not that long ago and she wasn't sure if she should throw herself into another relationship so soon. Yes, time had healed much of her hurt and she was almost completely over Derek; she realized now that her reaction to walking in on him and Meredith was more from shock and embarrassment than actual pain. However, a decade-long marriage wasn't something easy to get over and it would be unfair to both Alex and herself if she just launched into a relationship when she wasn't ready.

Of course, even if she were over Derek, she wasn't sure if she was over the damage both he and Mark had caused. Both men had cheated on her, effectively tossing her aside like an old toothbrush. Yes, she had cheated first, but she was truly sorry and endured all kinds of humiliation in order to make it up to Derek. Neither man regretted the way they had treated her and that was the wound that had difficulty healing. And now she was being pursued by Alex, a man known for his womanizing ways. Very few at Seattle Grace hadn't heard about his tryst with Olivia while he was dating Izzie. How could she trust him not to destroy her when she barely put herself back together after the havoc caused by the other two?

Yet, she couldn't deny that she was interested. When the first dinner invitation came in the form of an email, she thought she had been adamant in her refusal. She must have shown some hesitation or doubt, though, because the second invitation came less than 24 hours later, this time in the form of a text message. With each invitation, her objections became weaker and weaker; Alex had successfully torn down many of her walls and seemed relentless in his aim of tearing down the others. When they saw each other in person, he never mentioned the emails or the messages, choosing to keep their contact strictly professional. However, not a day would go by without a gift, a note, or a call, letting her know that he was nothing if not persistent.

Addison was finding it harder and harder to say no. Alex was so kind and attentive, always putting her needs and wishes first. He was considerate of the fact that she may not want to be openly pursued, and so kept his attempts to woo her away from prying eyes. In public, he exhibited a more gentlemanly nature, continuing to walk her to her car after dark and bring her coffee in the morning. The only new buzz in the rumour mill consisted of laments from the nurses that he was no longer receptive to flirting and propositions. There was speculation that he may be dating someone new, but when no one could discover her identity, it was concluded that she must be someone who didn't work at the hospital. Try as she might, Addison was finding it more and more difficult to remember all the reasons why it would be a bad idea to go out with him. She had to stay strong, but she had a feeling that she was fighting a losing battle.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Callie continued to watch her surroundings as her hand dove once again into the bag of chocolate chip cookies and stuffed another decadent treat into her mouth. She could've been having a decent meal at home, or at least in a restaurant since you can't actually cook in a hotel room, but instead, she was seated in one of the uncomfortable and tacky chairs of the hospital waiting area. She should've been off hours ago, but a car accident had kept her at the hospital until late and, by the time she was free to leave, there were only two hours left until her next shift. With hunger momentarily being a more demanding issue than fatigue, she decided to spend her precious few moments of spare time enjoying her snack and watching the people around her.

Currently, Addison was talking to Alex by the elevators, standing a little closer together than co-workers, particularly co-workers who supposedly loathed each other, normally do. As an excuse for standing the way they were, Alex would every so often tickle or speak to the baby gurgling comfortably in the attending's arms. Whenever the baby moved, it gave Alex and Addison the opportunity to inch just a little bit closer, presumably to chortle at the infant. Callie snickered slightly at their obvious behaviour and ate another cookie.

She and Addison had been growing closer for the past few months and the orthopedic surgeon now considered her colleague one of her best friends. Callie was always the outsider, never made friends easily in school, but she enjoyed the time she spent with Addison and found that they had a lot in common. They had great fun together, knew exactly when and how to make each other laugh, but also knew how to support each other if one of them simply needed some company or a shoulder to cry on. It wasn't all that long ago when the two doctors would spend the night on drunken binges, commiserating on their pathetic love lives. It took a long time, many gallons of Ben & Jerry's and countless bottles of Jack Daniels, but each had managed to pull the other through and they were now on the mend. Both women seemed to have kicked their McHabits and were ripe for healthy relationships.

It also helped that the Shepherds were now officially divorced and Meredith had her McLife back. Derek was her boyfriend again and she was over the moon, meaning that the high school crowd had moved on from their fascination with Addison. Yet, upon closer inspection, there seemed to be something not quite right with Meredith. Callie remembered when the intern was tough, savvy, smart, independent, and even her biggest critics begrudgingly respected her. She was whiny and self-absorbed, but she knew how to go after what she wanted and didn't stop until she got it; anyone witness to the disintegration of the Shepherd marriage could vouch for that. Meredith could swear until she was blue in the face that she had tried to move on and left her former lover to repair his marriage, but out of loyalty to her friend, Callie could neither forgive nor forget the way they had continued their game of cat-and-mouse while Addison looked on helplessly. Though Meredith's actions lacked honour and integrity, no one could fault her for her perseverance and determination; she may have temporarily conceded, but in the end, she still managed to get what she wanted.

Now though, it was like looking at a different person. Lately, she spent morning, noon and night clinging to Derek, as if he was all that mattered in the world. When he was around, she coddled him and kept after him as if she needed him to breathe; when he was busy, she sat patiently, waiting for him to call. Derek seemed to love it, since all the adoration and worship went straight to his ego, but Meredith had no life of her own anymore; her friends never saw her, her work revolved around Derek's cases, she had no hobbies except for things she could do with her McDreamy.

_Speak of the devil_, Callie thought to herself as she watched Meredith follow Derek to the nurses' station. The young intern hung on his every word, never taking her eyes off him as he perused the chart in front of him. For his part, the charming neurosurgeon knew exactly when to throw her a dazzling smile to keep her enthralled before completely ignoring her to turn back to his work.

Callie rolled her eyes. Sisterly indignation arose within her; though it was healthy for Addison to have moved on, she herself could afford to hold onto her disdain in her stead for just a little while longer. During one of their many nights of drinking, she had heard about this routine from her friend. Pretty soon, the smiles and the gestures would be fewer and farther between. As Derek became more and more disenchanted with his new relationship, his priorities would shift and he would become engrossed in his work once again. More nights would be spent at the hospital and less time would be given to his girlfriend. Then, just when Meredith would think that all hope was lost, he would make some sort of gesture, perhaps a bouquet of flowers or a surprise dinner, that would be just enough to reel her back in for more. It was Derek's MO, even if he didn't realize it; he was too self-absorbed to see that his combination of charm and neglect wreaked havoc and devastation on any woman unfortunate enough to fall for him.

No longer caring to witness the train wreck about to happen in front of her, Callie turned her attention back to the other couple and watched in amusement as Addison and Alex continued what she considered to be an awkward mating dance, thinking to herself that maybe she could help them out a little. After all, best friends also gave each other a kick in the pants when it was needed. Addison handed the baby off to the intern and asked him to keep an eye on him while his mother prepared for surgery. They continued staring into each other's eyes for just a moment longer than was necessary before Addison blushed slightly and Alex chuckled softly. With a slight nod, Alex headed onto the elevator while Addison turned towards Callie.

"Hey, Callie. Aren't you here a little early for your shift?"

The other woman ignored the question and asked one of her own, "When are you two going to get past this sophomore dating ritual and just get together?"

Addison's eyes widened in shock. "What are you talking about? Alex and I are co-workers," she insisted.

"Right," Callie agreed sarcastically, "I'm always staring soulfully into Miranda's eyes and blushing." At Addison's growing discomfort, she added, "Relax, it's not obvious to anyone else. It's just that you're my best friend and I care about you, so I look for the signs. You gonna start passing him notes soon? 'Do you like me? Yes or no? Please check one.'"

Addison scowled at her but couldn't keep herself from laughing. "Fine, I like him, okay? But we're just so different. I'm a Manhattan girl while he's more into a simple life. I like lobster thermidor, he prefers ribs and wings. I enjoy picnics in the park, he's used to beer and a game of pool. How does that spell out a successful relationship?"

"I've seen you wolf down a whole bucket of wings and you beat me at pool every time. Try again."

"He's an intern and I'm an attending. It would be unprofessional," Addison replied.

"You've met Burke and Yang, right? And, what about when George and I were dating? Did you also forget the nauseating love story of McMoron and his own slutty intern?"

Addison didn't reply, so Callie continued. "Besides, you couldn't do unprofessional even if you tried. And, our situations would be worse in comparison because you already know that Alex isn't going into neo-natal. Yang could very well end up in CT and, with the way she puppydogs after her boyfriend like some cult follower, the only experience Grey seems to get these days is neuro."

"Well, what about the fact that he's a known womanizer and I've been burned enough by men cheating on me?" Addison asked.

Callie shook her head, "Word around here is that he hasn't even looked at a nurse or an intern in weeks, much less flirted with one. It's actually kind of amusing to see them throw themselves at him and not even be acknowledged for their troubles. The speculation right now is that he's saving himself for Stevens, but I know something they don't."

"What's that?" Addison asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"That Stevens isn't the reason he's been ignoring hot women, sneaking chocolates into lockers and hanging around here until late at night just to walk someone to her car. On top of that, he's been buying lunch for two all week and not for her. For instance, he picked up an extra butterscotch pudding yesterday, but her favourite is chocolate."

Addison shrugged, "So, he made a mistake."

"What's your favourite pudding again, Montgomery?"

She scowled, "Shut up, Torres."

Callie smiled in response, "Look, if the two of you being together is such a ridiculous idea, why are you so hung up on him?"

Addison thought about her answer for a moment, "He's sweet, caring, funny and kind. He looks out for me and takes care of me. He was there for me when I walked in on Derek and Meredith and he's been there for me ever since. He never makes me feel like I'm invisible or unimportant. And, he makes me laugh, not cry."

"So," Callie continued, "What's more important here? Being with someone who really cares about you, someone who's really making an effort for you? Or, not letting yourself find happiness just because the guy is an intern who likes ribs and wings?"

As Addison plopped down on the seat beside her, Callie handed over her bag of cookies and watched as she pulled out a whole stack of chocolaty goodness. They sat in companionable silence, munching on their snacks, as Addison contemplated her friend's advice.

----------

"Well?" Alex asked under his breath, pretending to look at the chart in his hands while standing beside Addison at the nurses' station. He was careful not to draw attention to himself and, to all outward appearances, the doctors had not even acknowledged each other's presence.

Addison glanced up from her own chart for a minute to make sure no one was listening before she whispered, "Yes."

Alex nearly dropped his pen in surprise. "Yes?" he asked. He had been expecting another refusal.

Addison nodded her head surreptitiously. "Yes," she repeated before closing her chart and walking away from the station.

She never turned around, so she missed the wide grin that Alex just couldn't keep off his face.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

George opened the door to the locker room to peek inside, hoping to see Alex. Thankfully finding him alone, he walked over to his fellow intern, feeling a little self-conscious about the conversation they were going to have. He and Alex weren't close, they could barely stand each other, but they both cared about his roommate and George hoped that it would be enough for Alex to understand why they needed to talk.

Izzie had confided in him what had happened between her and her former boyfriend while she was shadowing him on probation. Though she had made it clear to Alex when he kissed her that she wasn't ready to move on from Denny, George wasn't so sure that he got the message. He always knew that the cocky intern still had feelings for his best friend; anyone with eyes could tell from the tenderness he had shown the night Denny died that he still wasn't over Izzie. The problem was, Izzie didn't need that kind of pressure right now; she had just lost her fiancé, her job, been reinstated without privileges, and was still trying to get through each day at a time. If Alex really cared about her, he would wait for her and give her the time and space she needed; as her friend, George would make sure of that.

"Look, I know it's really not my place, but Izzie is my best friend," he said when he reached Alex's locker, careful to make sure that they were still alone in the room, "She told me that you still have feelings for her but you really need to back off. She's not ready for anything yet."

Alex looked up for a moment, confusion written across his face, "Izzie? What are you talking about, O'Malley? Since when do I have feelings for Izzie?"

"She told me you kissed her!"

Alex suddenly remembered the kiss; it seemed such a long time ago, when she was still on probation. Yes, he'd be the first to admit that he and Izzie had a complicated relationship and most of it was his fault. When they first started dating, he was the one who pushed her away, not even kissing her after their first date. He didn't know what was wrong with him at the time, but his usual arrogance had just seemed to dissipate. Izzie was undoubtedly beautiful, kind, and brilliant, but that had never been enough to shake his self-assurance before. Perhaps it was because they had started off as friends, but that still didn't explain why he suddenly felt inadequate and uncertain around her. Whatever the reason, it was the sudden lack of confidence on which he had come to rely, compounded with his failure at the Boards, that led him to sabotage everything he could've had with her.

Alex was truly sorry about the way he had hurt her, and suddenly the chance to be with her again became more important than any insecurities he may have had. When she actually came back to him, he took the opportunity to prove to himself and the world that he really didn't have to ruin every good thing in his life. He knew it was different this time though, even if he chose to ignore it. Meredith hadn't needed to point out to him that Izzie didn't feel the same way about him as she had before; all he had to do was look into her eyes to see that all the respect and trust was gone. Yet, he was determined to not let their relationship become just another disaster in his life. It was why he fought so hard for her, refusing to let her go even when the writing was on the wall. He had known that Izzie would fall for Denny, had seen it the moment she rushed to his side when he arrived at the hospital. However, Alex just couldn't let her go, because that would mean that he had failed once again.

In hindsight, he could see that his behaviour at the time left a lot to be desired; the cockiness that he normally wore as a badge of honour had disappeared once again, this time to be replaced by jealousy and possessiveness. Now that time had passed and he could gain some perspective, he realized that their relationship would never have worked. Though he still thought the world of Izzie and his feelings for her at the time had been genuine, their actual relationship had more to do with his desire to succeed. Izzie deserved someone who cared enough to make their relationship about her, the way Denny had cared about her and, Alex was surprised to realize, the way he was starting to care about Addison.

Returning to the conversation at hand, Alex shook his head, "Look, I've moved on. I did want to be with Izzie but that's water under the bridge now. She's fantastic and any guy would be lucky to have her, but I'm not going to be that guy. She needs to deal with her issues with Denny first and I've got my own personal life."

"Right," George said disbelievingly. From what Izzie had said, Alex had been quite adamant about his feelings for her and he didn't think that the other man could've moved on so quickly.

"It's true," Alex insisted, "I don't even know why I'm telling you this, since you're right about it being none of your business, but you have to swear that you won't say anything." He hesitated for a moment, not really knowing if he should reveal his secret, but he didn't really have any close friends and he once again found himself outside his usual realm of smugness. _What is it about that woman_, he asked himself,_ that has me confiding in O'Malley of all people?_

George shook his head slightly, "I won't, I swear."

Alex took a deep breath before he continued, "I'm kind of seeing someone. I've been pursuing her for a while but she only just agreed to go out with me. I…I like her a lot and I'm really gonna try to make this work."

"Who is it?" George asked, curiosity getting the better of him, "One of the nurses? A paramedic? Oh, I know! It's that new intern that transferred here from Mercy!" He was a little surprised by the sincerity in Alex's voice and manner; he had never known the other man to be more than just cavalier about a woman he was dating. In fact, if he didn't know better, he would've thought that Alex was actually _nervous_ about this date, but since when was Alex Karev nervous about women? Though he never doubted his feelings for Izzie, George always suspected that the popular intern would never be able to settle down and commit to her. Yet, George had also never seen Alex quite so eager, quite so excited. It seemed that someone had finally appeared who could convince him to give up his womanizing ways.

"Will you keep it down?!" Alex hissed, "You have to swear on your life that you won't say anything. I don't care myself but I don't know if she wants people to know."

"I already swore, Alex!" When Alex simply glared at him, George relented, "Fine, I swear on my life that I won't breathe a word of this to a single soul."

He hesitated for just a moment longer before he spoke. "It's Addison Montgomery," he whispered under his breath.

George burst out laughing, but at the scowl on Alex's face, the laughter quickly died away.

"Dude, you're dating Dr. Montgomery?" George asked incredulously.

Alex continued rummaging through his locker as he shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, so? It's not that big of a deal. I mean, it's a big deal because it took her forever to say yes, but it's only our first date."

George felt torn between his loyalty to Izzie and this new camaraderie he was sharing with Alex. Since the tremors in Burke's hand had been revealed, and thus the cover-up that had almost led to him operating on George's father, the friendship between the two doctors had cooled considerably and the intern found that he missed having a male friend. He and Alex had never confided in each other before and George found that, as a break from being constantly surrounded by a sea of estrogen, it was nice to be able to have a friendly conversation with another man again. He could tell by the way Alex was speaking that he was serious about this new relationship, that he really wanted it to work, but George wasn't sure how Izzie would feel about this sudden turn of events. Though she had been resolute about not being ready for another relationship so quickly, it was evident that she was pleased that Alex still had feelings for her. Now though, George realized that she had read too much into the situation, because Alex had obviously forgotten all about the kiss and was more focused on his pursuit of Dr. Montgomery.

"So, where are you taking her?" he finally asked. Just because he cared about Izzie didn't mean that he couldn't be a friend to Alex, too. If Alex was serious about this relationship, then George would do what he could to help.

Alex shrugged again, "I don't know. Hadn't really thought about it. Down to that new pool hall, maybe?"

George's eyes nearly popped out of his head, "You're kidding, right?"

Alex finally stopped what he was doing to look at his sometime friend, "Dude, what is your problem? What's wrong with the pool hall?"

"Alex, this is Addison Montgomery," George insisted, "The original Uptown Girl. The very definition of class and style. You've seen the clothes she wears, the way she carries herself. You really see her enjoying an evening in a pool hall?"

Alex tried to keep his nonchalant demeanour but his nervousness began to grow. "So, what do you suggest, Bambi?"

"A woman like Dr. Montgomery needs to be wined and dined. She wouldn't be easily impressed, so you have to go all out. She can have any guy she wants, so you have to make sure that you stand out. You can't just bring her to a pool hall and expect her to agree to a second date."

"Look," he continued, "To impress a woman like Dr. Montgomery, you'd probably need to shell out the big bucks. You know, fancy dinner at a snooty restaurant, box seats at the opera or the theatre, renting out a boat for a river cruise, that sort of thing. You're gonna have to put more thought into it than just a night at the pool hall. You sure you know what you've gotten yourself into?" George slapped his now worried fellow intern on the back before walking off.

Alex took a deep breath. He tried to forget everything George had just said, not liking the way it made him more anxious than he already was, but what if he was right? With all her beauty, talent, and sophistication, Addison really was in a class by herself. Why would Alex actually believe that he could belong with her, that he could treat her the way she deserved to be treated? What could he possibly have to offer her? _Maybe this was a bad idea_, he thought, _maybe I'm in over my head_.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I'm really sorry it took me so long to post another chapter; I'm currently out of town for the holidays and have sporadic access to my computer and the internet at best. I'll do what I can to keep posting through the holidays and get back to a regular schedule in the New Year. Thanks for being so patient with me! 

----------

**Chapter 7**

Addison looked up in shock as Alex stormed into her office and slammed the door behind him. She continued to stare as he paced the length of the room, seemingly trying to decide what he was going to say. Thankful that there was nothing requiring her immediate attention, she patiently waited until he was ready. She didn't want to interrupt him, sensing that he needed to get this off his chest, but she was starting to get frustrated just watching him. Finally, his pace slowed down a little and the words just came flying out.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Don't get me wrong; I'm really, _really_ interested in you. I'm so into you that I can barely see straight. There are times when you look at me and I forget how to breathe. But, let's face facts. You're an attending and way out of my league. I would never be comfortable in the society where you normally find yourself. You're brilliant, kind, compassionate, heartbreakingly beautiful, and can probably have any guy you want at the snap of your fingers. What can you possibly see in me?"

Addison stared at him, completely stunned and temporarily unable to form the words to respond. She knew of her reputation as a high-class Manhattan girl, but she had no idea that anyone would find it so intimidating. While she supposed that she could've been mildly offended by Alex's comment on the type of "society" with which she associated, she couldn't get past the heartfelt declaration of his feelings for her. Any doubt that she may have still harboured about his intentions were completely decimated, not only by what he was saying, but also by his demeanour. Addison had never seen Alex this anxious about anything before, and the fact that she was the reason behind his sudden loss of composure made butterflies flutter in her stomach.

Yet, it finally began to register for her exactly how nervous he was. _Is he here to cancel our date?_ she wondered. Addison became wary of the direction in which this running monologue was headed and tried to cut him off before he went too far. She wanted to interrupt before Alex let his insecurities take over and completely talked himself out of their date, but she was never given that opportunity. It seemed that he had been thinking about this for quite a while and was now unable to stop himself from pouring out everything that had been bothering him.

"I've spent all day trying to come up with the perfect way to impress you on our date, but none of them are me," he continued, "Everything that I can think of that you'd enjoy doing, they're all things that I would normally consider torture. I really like you, Addison, and I really want to give us a chance, but I don't see how that's going to work if I don't have fun doing anything you like to do."

Alex stopped to take a breath and Addison got up from behind her desk to walk towards him. She stopped when she was directly in front of him and tried to get a word in edgewise, but she just wasn't fast enough. Before a single sound could escape from her lips, Alex launched into his rant once again.

"Look, I'm a simple guy. I don't want to dress up in a tux to go dancing. I don't want to have dinner at a five-star restaurant where we can leave hungry after a seven-course meal. I don't want to go to some opera where I have to pay a fortune to hear people sing in a language I don't even understand. I don't want --"

No matter how adorable Alex looked and sounded as he rambled on and on, Addison knew she had to interrupt. Before he could say another word, she grabbed him by the lapels of his lab coat and pressed her lips to his. He stood stunned for a moment before he responded. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer to deepen the kiss. She released his lapels to slide one arm around his neck and run her fingers through his hair, leaving the other hand resting on his chest, playing with the buttons of his shirt. Lips parted invitingly while tongues teased and tantalized; what began as a simple kiss to stop him from talking soon turned heated and passionate. Their need grew as their tongues continued to taste and explore; neither one was willing or ready to allow their spontaneous embrace to end.

When breathing became an issue, they reluctantly pulled apart. Both were surprised by the way that the kiss had so quickly and completely consumed them; even though they knew they were attracted to each other, they were unprepared for the fire that nearly raged out of control the moment their lips met. Even when the kiss was over, they found themselves unable to separate. They remained in each other's arms, staring into each other's eyes, waiting for their breathing and heart rates to return to normal. Finally, shaking her head slightly to bring herself back to the situation at hand, Addison spoke up.

"Alex, it's our first date," she chuckled lightly, "I was thinking more along the lines of burgers and bowling."

Alex found himself extremely distracted by the lazy patterns Addison was still tracing on his chest, but when her suggestion finally penetrated the euphoric fog that had settled on his brain, he raised an eyebrow incredulously. "You? Bowling?"

"Hey, I can bowl," Addison defended, "Admittedly, I haven't been bowling in ages, but my average was 220, I'll have you know."

Alex had trouble reconciling the image of Addison in a bowling alley, wearing rented shoes, with the one he had built in his head of the classy woman who preferred the finer things in life, "Wouldn't you rather get all dressed up and go someplace fancy?"

For a moment, Addison was too busy enjoying the feel of his hand running up and down her back to answer. "Yes," she finally replied, "I admit that there are times when I feel like being all girly and dressing up in a ball gown for a fabulous night of dinner and dancing. But, that's for special occasions. Who wants to spend hours on hair and make-up for a regular Saturday night? I'd much rather be in a comfortable environment where we can be ourselves and really get to know each other. Can't do that if you're so busy trying to impress me that you're not acting like yourself."

Alex frowned in confusion, "But, O'Malley said --"

Addison finally couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. "Why on earth would you ever listen to O'Malley?"

Alex turned crimson and shrugged. "I really wanted you to have a good time, and he's better known for being a sensitive guy than I am." He paused for a moment and looked at her sparkling hazel eyes and thoroughly kissed lips. _She has absolutely no idea how stunningly beautiful she looks right now_, he thought. "I didn't want to mess up and jeopardize my chances for a second date."

_A second date?_ Addison thought to herself, _how can anyone think that you're anything but thoughtful and romantic?_ "That's incredibly sweet of you," she responded out loud, "but all you have to do is be yourself. I didn't want to go out with O'Malley, I wanted to go out with you. I want to get to know you better, see where this leads." She looked deep into his eyes, "I want to give us a chance."

Alex was lost in her expressive eyes and the sincerity of her words. He had thought that he would have to make sacrifices in order to win her over, expected to have to endure dull but expensive evenings just to impress her. He didn't mind getting dressed up for a fancy evening once in a while, but the thought of having to do it on a regular basis made him miserable. However, from what she was saying, Addison seemed to enjoy a fun, relaxing night out just as much as he did. Maybe he had misjudged her; maybe she really would prefer a quiet, casual evening to an extravagant dinner. It now seemed entirely possible that they had more in common than he had originally thought; he should never have listened to O'Malley and let him put all these doubts into his head. After all, this was the same Addison who had seen him at his most obnoxious and still wanted to be with him; if she was happy with him being himself, then he wanted them to have a real opportunity to get to know each other.

Finally, Alex broke into a smile and nodded, "Burgers and bowling it is, then."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Alex opened his locker and discovered a neatly wrapped tuna sandwich and a coffee from his favourite coffee shop. No note had been attached to the surprise treat, but there was no doubt in his mind of who had left it there. He had been running late that morning, thanks in no small part to the lack of sleep from the night before, or more specifically to the reason for the lack of sleep, and didn't have time for breakfast. Having been stuck in the pit for the entire morning and missing lunch, he now found himself starving at 2:00 in the afternoon.

As he ravenously devoured his sandwich, pleasant thoughts roamed through his mind about the giver and the fun evening they had shared. He had never been so thoroughly trounced at pool by a girl before but the sight of Addison Montgomery in tight jeans and a lacy tank bent over a pool table was enough to drive any man to distraction. It wasn't until much later in the evening that he learned that the outfit had just been part of an elaborate hustle that had ended up costing him a hundred and fifty dollars, but the pleased smile that lit up Addison's face as she offered to buy him an ice cream cone with his own money made the defeat well worthwhile.

Now that he knew her better, Alex couldn't believe how he had misjudged Addison. He had originally had her pegged as a high-class Manhattan girl who would never enjoy the things he liked, but he was constantly being surprised. She had beaten him at bowling and wiped the floor with him at pool. Though not unfamiliar with fancy dinners at the Ritz, she was equally happy and comfortable devouring a juicy burger and stealing his fries, simply laughing at him and taking more when he pretended to be upset. When he took her to the arcade, he finally managed to beat her at the racing games, but became slightly worried when she nearly doubled his score at the 3D shooters. He had taken her to a seedy bar where they served buckets full of whole crab on All-You-Can-Eat Seafood Night, expecting her to cringe at the filth or the thought of using her hands to break the shells and pull out the crab meat, but she had squealed in delight when a bucket was brought to their table, rolled up her sleeves and dove right in, eating more crab than even he could handle.

Alex had never so enjoyed spending time with someone before. Whether they were at a baseball game, where Addison nearly knocked him over in order to catch a fly ball, or a surprise picnic in the park she had prepared for him, complete with a game of ultimate frisbee, he always had a great time. Even a quiet evening at the movies followed by coffee and cheesecake at a local bakery seemed exciting with the beautiful redhead as his companion. He was falling hard and fast and he knew it. There was nothing he could or even wanted to do to stop it.

Alex's train of thoughts was interrupted as the rest of the interns filed into the locker room. Annoyed with the interruption but curious about what had his co-workers so animated, he continued to quietly eat his lunch as everyone kept talking around him.

"Everything's fine!" Meredith insisted, "I'm fine! McDreamy's fine! My McLife is fine!"

"Uh-huh," Cristina grunted, not looking up from her textbook, "That's why I got a call at 3:00 in the morning from Joe to come take you home."

Her head snapped up when a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Why was I called anyway? Why didn't he call Izzie or George? They actually live with you!"

"Izzie was on-call," the blonde in question declared.

"George had a date," he chimed in.

"You're my person!" Meredith whined, "Of course, Joe's going to call you!"

"Bambi had a date and you were passed out on the floor of a bar," Cristina stated for clarification, "What is this world coming to?"

"Why were you up close and personal with Señor Jose Cuervo this time, Mer?" Izzie asked.

"It was just a couple of drinks!" Meredith cried, throwing up her hands in frustration.

"The way you drink? With your tolerance?" Cristina asked, "It would take more than a couple of drinks to get you in the state you were in."

"What did Dr. Shepherd do now?" George asked.

"Nothing," Meredith was emphatic, "He just...he cancelled our date for the fourth time this week, that's all."

"Ah!" the three other interns nodded their heads knowingly while Alex quietly drank his coffee.

"He was busy!" Meredith explained, "He was called in to surgery! What was he supposed to say? 'I can't do it because I have a date with my girlfriend'? Seriously!" She neglected to mention that the surgery was elective and that Derek had volunteered to perform the procedure, even though there was another attending on-call.

"Mer, you just said he cancelled for the fourth time this week. It's only Tuesday. You really don't see anything wrong with this picture?" Cristina asked.

"You're making a big deal out of nothing," Meredith said, shaking her head in denial, "It's just a really busy time for him. And, so what if it's Tuesday? It just means that he'll have more time to make it up to me, that's all."

On the other side of the door to the interns' locker room, Mark stood quietly listening to the conversation. He wasn't normally into eavesdropping, but he had been on his way to the locker room to acquire his slave for the day, always a highlight since he loved to torture interns. He had hesitated at the door, having yet to decide between the arrogant upstart who hated him but idolized his skill and his fellow dirty mistress, when he heard the fascinating topic of discussion. Meredith's excuses were almost verbatim the same ones Addison had used for years. Well, at least Addison made it to the altar before the neglect started; Meredith barely held Derek's attention for months. Mark had always suspected that the intense desire his former best friend felt for Meredith was more the enchantment of forbidden fruit than any personal charms the intern held. Sure, she was gorgeous and smart, the daughter of the famed Ellis Grey, but she was not more extraordinary than the stunningly beautiful Isobel Stevens or the incomparably brilliant Cristina Yang. Now that Meredith no longer represented something he couldn't have, Derek seemed to be quickly losing interest in her.

_Well, it's not my problem_, Mark thought as he shrugged to himself, _Addie's away from him now and Meredith can deal with his neglect_. Tiring quickly of listening to Meredith extol the virtues of her fairytale love and not really wanting to subject himself to Alex's poorly concealed contempt, Mark strode off down the corridor, never having revealed his presence.

Alex, meanwhile, felt a little more sympathy for Meredith but couldn't help thinking that she had brought this on herself. He had never respected Derek Shepherd beyond his professional abilities; the neurologist was a gifted surgeon but didn't have much to brag about outside the operating room. Though Meredith was beautiful and intelligent, Alex never understood how Derek could be so unwaveringly obsessed with her when he had Addison at home. Meredith was kind, funny, and a great girl, but she lacked the extra fire, the extra sparkle that made Addison Montgomery unique and irresistible. The hazel-eyed beauty could stop him cold in his tracks and make him completely forget what he was in the process of doing simply by absentmindedly throwing him one of her breathtaking smiles. And, when she set out to distract, actually made the effort to play the temptress, he was putty in her hands.

Still, there's no accounting for personal taste and Derek's obsession was Alex's gain, so he really couldn't fault him for choosing Meredith. However, any semblance of respect that Alex ever felt for Derek was lost the moment he took Addison back when he never intended to let go of Meredith. The intern just could not understand how any man could treat someone they had vowed to love, honour and cherish the way he had. Yes, Addison had made a mistake, but if Derek couldn't forgive her, then he should never have kept her hopes alive by telling her that he would try. Any man with the least bit of integrity would have remembered his vows or let his wife go rather than make her suffer for a whole year, watching him openly pine for another woman.

Now, though, Alex was getting further insight into the other man's psyche. It was becoming clear to him that Derek was too self-absorbed to ever truly be in love. The woman in his life would fascinate him for a time, but gradually his own career and ambition would become the center of his universe once again. This explained the disintegration of his marriage to Addison and the current state of his relationship with Meredith; both women held his attention for a while, but the real love of his life was his work and he would never stray from it for long. If Meredith decided to stay with Derek, she would have to get used to being second place.

Shrugging slightly to himself, Alex headed to the door of the locker room without having said a word. _Meredith wanted him, so she can have him_, he thought. _As long as they leave Addie alone, I really don't care what happens_. No longer wanting to be part of the universe that seemed to revolve around Meredith Grey and the never-ending dramas of her love life, he threw out his empty cup and sandwich wrapper before heading back to the pit.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Derek stared at them as they stood near the snack cart, the pen in his hand almost at the breaking point from the pressure being applied to it. He didn't know why, but the scene in front of him bothered him greatly. To all outward appearances, they were nothing but professional; Karev and his ex-wife were working together again and it would make sense for them to spend time together, even eat together, as they discussed cases. Sure, the younger man had paid for Addison's banana bread and coffee, but her hands were full with the charts she was carrying and she couldn't reach for her wallet. Besides, it's perfectly natural for an intern to suck up to his boss by buying her coffee, right?

And, it had to be his imagination that they were standing a little too close together for mere co-workers. After all, they were bent over the same chart, they had to stand close together to be able to see it. It was probably just a coincidence that Karev had angled his body so that their stances and body language seemed more like that of intimate lovers than student and teacher. Derek was most likely being over-sensitive if he thought that the intern looked like he was whispering into Addison's ear every time he looked up to talk to her.

But that look couldn't be his imagination, that deep, soulful look from the hazel eyes of the beautiful and fiery redhead, the one that could make you feel invincible, that could make you think you were the only one in the world who mattered. Derek knew that look well; he used to be the only recipient of that look. He was certain that Addison never looked at Mark that way, even if she did believe she was in love with him.

But, so what if his ex-wife had moved on, finding someone else with whom to share her life? He was with Meredith now, the woman he couldn't live without, the woman with whom he had been obsessed, the woman he swore was the love of his life. Sure, the thrill of the forbidden had worn away to reveal the flaws that had likely always been there, but what relationship is perfect? Meredith was still just as beautiful and talented; so what if he had never noticed before how self-centered and immature she could be?

Had she always been so demanding of his time? Admittedly, he was spending less time with her than he had been right after the divorce, but the honeymoon had to be over at some point. They had to return to reality; they had careers to worry about, patients to see, injuries to mend, illnesses to cure. Meredith didn't expect to always be his top priority, did she? Not when someone's life was on the line, right? Granted, there wasn't always an emergency that only he could handle, but why couldn't she understand that he wanted to be prepared for the _possibility_ of an emergency? He owed it to his field to always be at the top of his game, to never be complacent. Why didn't Meredith understand that he needed to keep working so that he never lost his edge?

He thought Addison had understood, but then she cheated on him with Mark and claimed that he drove her to it because he neglected her. He thought Meredith understood because she had seemed disgusted by Addison's excuses, but when faced with the same situation, she couldn't stop nagging and complaining. Why couldn't these women understand that he wasn't neglecting them, that there were some things more important than catering to their every whim?

However, his concerns with Meredith could wait; right now, Derek was more worried about Addison and the nature of her relationship with Karev. Did she think that she could hurt him by starting a relationship with an intern? Or, was it a cry for attention? Maybe she just wanted to prove that she could be with an intern as well. Whatever the reason, Derek needed to make her see how wrong it would be to start anything with the cocky doctor, particularly since he was just a younger version of Mark. He needed to confront her, he needed answers.

----------

"That's not fair," Addison hissed, careful to keep her voice so low that no one could overhear their conversation. "You cheated!"

Alex smirked at her, his volume matching hers. "I won fair and square."

"I'm the queen of darts," she insisted, "There is no way you could've beaten me if you hadn't been distracting me. Every time I got up to take a turn, you were stealing my wings!"

"Oh, you wanna talk about distraction, Little Miss Bend-Over-The-Pool-Table-In-Tight-Jeans?" he answered.

She blushed slightly but wouldn't concede. "Wings are sacred, Karev."

"You've already destroyed me at bowling, pool and the arcade," he replied, "At least let me keep this little bit of masculine pride and allow me a small victory at darts."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, you won. You get to decide where we go on Saturday."

He grinned, "Great. You come over to my place, I'll make you dinner, and we'll watch movies in my living room."

"Really?" she asked, her eyes sparkling in delight, "What are you gonna make me?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, "I was gonna stick a beer can up a chicken butt."

Her brow wrinkled in confusion, "Excuse me?"

"You've never had beer can roasted chicken before?" he asked, "Man, you've gotta try it!"

"Alright," she agreed, "But, I'm bringing the movie. And, I'm warning you, it's gonna be a chick flick."

He grimaced slightly, "What chick flick?"

"I don't know," she answered, pondering the question, "I was thinking, maybe _Pirates_?"

Alex nearly laughed out loud. "Your idea of a chick flick is _Pirates of the Caribbean_? With all the swashbuckling, swordfights, shiny gold doubloons and a monkey?"

"Hey, it's a love story," Addison retorted indignantly, "And, it has **both** Johnny Depp **and** Orlando Bloom in it. You've got a better definition of a chick flick?"

He smiled at her, but his eyes were serious. "If _Pirates_ is the best idea you can come up with for torturing me, then I'm definitely never letting you go."

Addison's heart beat faster at the sweet but sudden declaration and, for a brief moment, they were lost in each other's eyes. She was constantly amazed at how, with a simple statement, gesture, or glance, he could make the world melt away. It had been so long since anyone had bothered with the effort of making her feel special, but Alex seemed to treat it as an honour to go out of his way to let her know how important she was to him.

At first, she had been worried that it was the attention that she liked and not really the person who was offering it; after years of being ignored and neglected, she had been afraid that her relationship with Alex was fueled by a hunger for any type of companionship. What if she was just lonely and missed being pursued? What if she simply craved being wanted again? Alex had been wonderful about making her feel needed, letting her know that she wasn't alone, making her believe that he would always be there for her. And, of course, the decidedly feminine part of her loved the way his eyes lit up in pleasure or darkened with desire every time she was near.

She soon realized, however, that it _did_ matter to her who was bestowing the attention. Mark was still making his elaborate displays and grand gestures, but such showboating made her cringe. She found herself turning down his early morning offerings of Hazelnut Frappuccino in anticipation of the Mocha Latte that Alex was sure to bring her later on. If she found chocolates in her office, she would be disappointed if they weren't truffles, not because they were her favourite, but because they were what Alex always gave her. More importantly, she found that she wanted to do things for him as well, from slipping homemade cookies into his pocket to placing a hot chocolate surreptitiously beside him in the gallery, just to let him know that she was thinking about him. If all she wanted was attention, why would she so enjoy reciprocating his gestures of affection?

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment longer before finding the strength to look away. Addison brought her eyes back down to the chart in her hands while Alex took a quick glance around to make sure that no one had witnessed their exchange. Though they hadn't done anything unprofessional, both were self-conscious of the fact that they had very little control of their emotions around each other and often found themselves in their own little world. Eventually, someone might start to notice their unintentional habit of gazing too long at one another or standing too close together.

"Thank you, Dr. Karev," Addison said a little louder this time, as if continuing a conversation that they had been having all along, "I'll need that OR in about two hours."

"Sure thing, Dr. Montgomery," Alex answered before heading down the corridor, using every ounce of willpower he could muster to not turn around and look back at her.

When Karev finally stepped away from his ex-wife, Derek followed as Addison walked into the attendings' locker room. Finding her already seated at her computer, he marched straight up to her and angrily demanded her attention.

"Sleeping with an intern, Addison? Are you trying to send me some kind of message?"

Addison didn't even bother looking up from her laptop. _Derek wasn't standing anywhere near us so there's no way he heard what we were saying_, she thought to herself. _He just suspects something is going on and I refuse to give him the satisfaction of confirming or denying it_.

"What are you trying to prove?" he continued, "Does having a fling with a younger man make you feel better about yourself? Or, is an affair with an intern your twisted way of making a statement?"

"My personal life is absolutely no concern of yours," she answered.

"I am your husband and I have a right to know if --"

"The divorce decree says otherwise."

Derek's face turned red with rage. "So, this is about the divorce, is it? That's real mature, Addison, using an intern to get back at me."

Addison finally looked up from her work with cold, unfeeling eyes, "I assure you, Derek, that if something were going on between me and someone else, whomever he may be, you would be the farthest thing from my mind." Without another word, she turned back to her work.

Derek stood gaping at his ex-wife for a moment longer before storming off. He couldn't talk to her when she was behaving like this. She was obviously trying to get a rise out of him and he shouldn't let himself react. He would have to try to reason with her again when he was calmer. Then, maybe he could make her realize how irrational she was being, using an intern to try to get back at him, or get him back, whatever the case may be. He had to make her understand that he had moved on and nothing would change that. He was happy with Meredith and this little ploy to make him jealous wasn't going to work. She needed to see that Karev was only trying to take advantage of her loneliness and vulnerability.

Addison, for her part, was surprised by how little this encounter, the one she had been dreading the most, had affected her. It annoyed her to have him ask intrusive questions about her personal life as if he still had a right to the answers, but she did not find his words as hurtful as he had intended. Derek Shepherd always wanted what he could not have and Addison knew that, if he ever found out about Alex, he would try to make the entire situation about himself. It was part of the reason why she had not wanted people to know about them just yet; all these feelings and experiences were so new to her that she wanted to keep them to herself and enjoy them for as long as she could. Soon enough, she would have to deal with the rumour vultures and the territorial ex-lovers; why shouldn't she protect her newfound contentment for as long as possible?

The circumstances with Derek were particularly sensitive because of the fact that their divorce had been finalized quite recently. Yes, they were officially over before she and Alex had started dating, but a few strokes of ink on a piece of paper did not mean that a decade's worth of happiness and heartache would simply vanish. Though Derek never bothered to extend her the same courtesy, Addison wanted to be considerate of his feelings and not flaunt her relationship in front of him. Of course, another deciding factor was her reluctance to deal with any unpleasantness that would be caused by Derek's reaction when he found out; she just didn't want his foul temper and attitude to taint the exhilaration she felt every time Alex was near. When the moment finally arrived, however, his obnoxious outburst did not bother her as much as she had feared it would.

Addison didn't know when it happened, but Derek's opinion no longer mattered to her. A part of her still loved him, you can't stop loving someone completely after so many years of marriage, but he was no longer the Derek she fell in love with and would never be again. In place of the man whom she had once believed to be the love of her life was a spoiled brat who was throwing a tantrum because he didn't have everyone's attention and admiration. She didn't know when or how it happened, but she now saw Derek for who he was and this Derek was not the person with whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life. There were times when she would think of the wonderful memories they shared, but this was not the husband she remembered so fondly. It had taken a lot of time and tears, but Addison had finally accepted that her Derek was gone.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Yes, I know that Alex has had a change of heart about plastics, but I need him to have a focus that isn't obstetrics right now. I may change things later, but for the purposes of this chapter, I'm keeping him interested in plastics. 

----------

**Chapter 10**

"My life is a bad soap opera," Addison declared as she plopped down in a chair across from Miranda.

The resident didn't bother looking up from the newspaper she was reading before asking, "Are you being forced to marry someone with whom you're subconsciously in love in order to not testify against him because you saw him commit a murder?"

Confused by the question, Addison hesitated a moment before answering. "Er, no."

"Are you pregnant by the evil twin of the love of your life?"

"No."

"Did you blackmail an intern into switching the paternity test results of an unborn baby because you despise the child's mother or want the real father for yourself?"

Addison shook her head again. "No."

"Were you kidnapped and had all your memories of the last two years of your life erased?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"Then, how is your life a bad soap opera?" Miranda finally set down her newspaper and looked at her friend expectantly.

Addison scowled. "Derek won't leave me alone. The other day, he suddenly flew into a jealous rage because I may potentially be interested in dating again. Now, he spends all day stalking and badgering me. Did he seriously think that I would sit here by myself and pine away for him for the rest of my life?"

Despite the fact that Addison had yet to admit to more than a professional interest in Alex, Derek had become insufferable in his relentless quest to save her, either from the manipulative machinations of the evil Dr. Karev or her own destructive tendencies. He was convinced that Alex was simply exploiting her loneliness and would stop at nothing to convince her of the same. He was also determined to persuade her to drop this ridiculous charade of a relationship; it wasn't worth getting hurt merely to prove a point.

Addison, meanwhile, had just about had it with Derek's endless accusations and bullying. Out of respect for her wish to keep their personal relationship outside the hospital, Alex had kept silent on the subject, making neither confirmations nor denials. This became a particularly difficult task when Derek realized that he was no closer to making Addison see reason and decided to turn his attacks on the younger doctor. Demands to stay the hell away from his wife and take advantage of some other woman did not produce the desired effect, but more than once, Addison had seen Alex silently stalk away with eyes blazing and fists clenched.

Miranda shrugged, "That's a man for you. He's allowed to move on and be happy, but you have to remain forever and always devoted to him."

"Well, the divorce was finalized," Addison stated, "We are no longer married. He has no say in whom I choose to date and not date. I just wish he'd realize that and leave me alone instead of following me around all day like some jilted lover."

"Was there a specific reason why he suddenly flew into this 'jealous rage'?" Miranda asked.

"No," Addison said hesitantly, "Well, he saw me talking to someone in the hall and just started to make assumptions. We were just discussing a case but if you listen to Derek, you'd think we were making out right there at the nurses' station."

_'Someone'?_ Miranda thought to herself, _who does she think she's fooling?_ "When were you going to tell me about you and my intern?" she asked.

Addison looked like a deer caught in headlights but managed to sputter out, "I-I have no idea what you're talking about."

Miranda sighed, "What the hell is wrong with this hospital? Why do all the attendings feel the need to sleep with interns? Sometimes I think this place gets more action than it does patients. You'd think Seattle Grace was some sleazy motel rather than a place where we're supposed to be saving lives."

Despite the level of discretion that Addison and Alex had tried so hard to keep, Miranda had once again found herself in the position of knowing things about her colleagues that no one else did. Though she detested gossip and avoided it at all cost, nothing at the hospital seemed to get past her. She herself sometimes wondered how she always managed to become privy to so much information. Though she didn't like the way the nurses and interns encouraged the circulation of rampant rumours, she was at least grateful that being so well-informed allowed her to keep an eye on everyone.

However, she didn't know how she felt about what she saw. When she first learned about Derek Shepherd and Meredith Grey a couple of years ago, the impropriety of the situation had hit her hard. How could any attending be so unprofessional as to get involved with an intern? When she learned about Preston Burke and Cristina Yang, the shock from the possibility of such a relationship had worn off but the disappointment remained. Cristina had always been one of her favourites; with her talent and dedication, she seemed destined to go far. Yet, she still managed to fall into the same precarious situation as her fellow intern and now, with the cover-up regarding Burke's injuries having been revealed, her career and reputation were in jeopardy. This said nothing of Miranda's personal displeasure at seeing the intern she most respected lie to her and behave with such reckless disregard for the lives of others.

By the time George O'Malley and Callie Torres began dating, people had become so accustomed to such inappropriateness that they barely batted an eye. Of course, Callie had never been one of her interns' main teachers and George had never shown an interest in orthopedics, so theirs seemed less unacceptable than the other two relationships, but she was still his superior and some lines should just not be crossed.

Finally, when she learned about Addison and Alex, Miranda's frustration grew. Four of her five interns were now personally involved with their instructors and, this time, the attending was her best friend. Miranda had a great respect for Addison and had always considered her to be beyond reproach, both as a medical professional and as a person. She wasn't perfect, but she was kind, compassionate, had a wonderful bedside manner and an incomparable talent in her field to boot. So, when she realized that her friend had gone down the same risky if well-trodden path as her colleagues, Miranda was not exactly pleased.

Still, something about this relationship made it a lot easier for her to accept than the others had been. Maybe it was because it had happened so often that she had become desensitized to the idea of an attending dating an intern. Perhaps it was because Addison was her friend and she just wanted the best for her. Whatever the reason, after having watched her suffer miserably for a year, Miranda was glad that Addison was once again able to smile and laugh, even if it was because of an intern. If it kept that sparkle in Addison's eye, Miranda could possibly learn to tolerate a relationship between an attending and her student.

Of course, much of her ability to turn a blind eye this time around had a lot to do with her distaste for Derek. Like so many others, Miranda had great respect for his skill but felt he lacked much in the life department. She had always disliked the way he continued to pursue her intern, even after learning that he was Meredith's superior and therefore her boss. If he really loved her as much as he claimed to, shouldn't he be more concerned with her career and reputation? Couldn't he wait a few years, until she had finished her internship, before he pursued her so relentlessly? In fact, didn't he love and respect her enough to wait even a few months until his divorce was finalized before he became involved with her, so that she wouldn't have to be saddled with the title of being the "other woman"?

Besides that, Derek had always seemed to Miranda to be self-centered and indifferent to those around him; the fact that it had taken him almost a year to learn that she was married said a lot about the type of person he was. Her marriage, such a big and important part of her life, had never been a secret; if he didn't know about it, it was because he didn't care enough to learn anything about her. To Miranda, this was just a classic example of how Derek Shepherd really only cared about Derek Shepherd.

"You're just imagining things," Addison was insisting adamantly as Miranda came back from her reverie. "There's nothing going on."

Miranda rolled her eyes, "Relax, there aren't any rumours going around and no one suspects a thing. Despite the fact that it's very unprofessional of you, you've been nothing if not discrete. The only reason I know is because I saw the two of you coming out of the movie theatre together. Are you two serious?"

Addison looked down at her hands and whispered, "We've been dating for a couple of months now."

"Are you sure about this? Is this what you really want? Or, are you just using him to get back at Derek? Trying to prove that you can have an intern of your own?"

Dating co-workers were disasters waiting to happen and the last thing Miranda needed was for one of her interns to be unable to work with a senior member of the hospital staff. As if relationships weren't hard enough, Addison had just gone through a very difficult divorce and one might wonder if she was ready for a serious commitment so soon. After having spent a whole year working tirelessly to save her marriage, would she really be able to just let it go and move on?

Miranda didn't question Addison's honesty or integrity, but it was her job to make sure that her interns received the best education they could. If there was any doubt in Addison's mind about her intentions towards Alex, the added pressure could lead to the relationship not working out. If they find that they couldn't work together anymore, Alex's ability to learn could end up suffering just as much as his emotional state. Though she was Addison's friend, Miranda was also Alex's teacher, and she would be shirking her duty if she didn't protect him from what she saw as a possible threat to his career.

Addison quickly looked up at the ceiling and Miranda could tell that she was trying to keep her emotions at bay. "Derek asked me the exact same question, except from him, they sounded a lot more like accusations. But, Alex isn't just an intern to me. I have more fun with him than I've ever had before; I don't remember ever laughing so hard or smiling so much. I had forgotten what it felt like to be happy."

"You sure you're not just happy for the company because you're feeling lonely?"

Addison chuckled a little, "I don't need a man to not feel lonely; I have you and I have Callie. I can always call you and go out for an evening if all I want is to not be alone. No, I like Alex for Alex; I like spending time with him. I like how he's always brutally honest. I like how nobody knows how gentle and caring he can be because he doesn't show that side of him to just anyone. I like how he makes the sweetest, most thoughtful gestures when I least expect them. I like how he can be teasing and playful one minute but serious and intense the next. I like how his brow wrinkles in concentration when he's trying to line up a difficult shot at pool. I even like his arrogance, though it drives me up the wall sometimes. I like him, Miranda."

Satisfied with the sincerity in Addison's answer, Miranda slowly nodded her head. "Well, if this relationship is genuine, then I won't stand in your way. Since the two of you have been nothing but professional, I don't really see a problem with it. You should stop choosing him as your intern, though. I'll assign him to you every so often so that he can get obstetrics experience, but since he's focusing on plastics, he'll be spending most of his time with Sloane and favouritism shouldn't be an issue."

Addison smiled, feeling a heavy weight lift off her shoulders now that she no longer had to hide such an important part of her life from her best friend. "Thank you, Miranda."

The resident's features softened, "Be happy, Addison, that's all I want."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"So then a giant space alien with long tentacles and three eyes beamed down from the mothership, stole the patient's spleen and gallbladder, and left without a word to the rest of us. Oh, but it left behind a bunt cake."

"Yeah, hysterectomies can be fascinating."

Meredith sighed inwardly. She was having lunch with Derek in the hospital cafeteria, telling him about her morning surgery, but she knew that he had not heard a single word she said. In fact, even if some of her spinach salad were stuck in her teeth, she doubted he would notice; he had yet to look straight at her, his gaze locked on something over her shoulder. She didn't have to turn around to confirm that the certain something was a gorgeous, brilliant, flame-haired attending.

For days now, Meredith had felt invisible around her own boyfriend. She didn't know when it happened, but he had stopped looking at her with adoration, stopped lighting up when she walked into the room, stopped noticing her altogether. Instead, she was now privy to some of what Addison must have felt when she was still trying to save her marriage. It had never occurred to Meredith that she was doing anything wrong, that she may have had a hand in the destruction of the Shepherds as a couple. She had always been convinced that it was Addison's fault for cheating on Derek, that he would still love her if she hadn't slept with Mark, and that she should have just let him go when he found love with Meredith. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought that she would find herself in her shoes, watching helplessly as Derek stared longingly at another.

If George were to be believed, Alex and Addison were either in a relationship or about to start one. He had sworn her to secrecy when he accidentally revealed that he was helping Alex plan the perfect first date. According to her roommate, the normally-arrogant intern had gotten cold feet at the last minute and may have tried to back out of the date, but considering the smile that had been plastered across his face for months now, he was likely to have gone through with it after all. Yet, their level of discretion was so high that even the nurses weren't aware of the budding romance; they had succeeded where she and Cristina had failed, namely in keeping their personal and professional lives separate.

Meredith knew better than to share George's revelation with Derek; she didn't need him obsessing about his ex-wife when they just got back together. Somehow, though, he must have figured it out; the way he stared with yearning at Addison and with barely-concealed hostility at Alex spoke volumes. If she had blamed Addison for standing in the way of true love, what does that say about herself now? Wasn't she hanging on just as tightly to Derek, unwilling to believe that he may love someone else? Wasn't she trying just as hard to salvage their relationship while he was truant? If she had found such fault with Addison's behaviour, shouldn't she do what she had wanted the other woman to do and back off?

Yet, how could she give up on him, on them? For a whole year, she wanted him and loved him from afar. She had numerous one-night stands, almost ruined her friendship with one of her best friends, and suffered through the death of her dog, all in a bid to get over him. Just when she thought she was making some headway, when she had met a great guy who was making plans for her, McDreamy swooped in, transformed her into a dirty mistress, and proved once again that she had no restraint where he was concerned.

Finn had been making plans while Derek called her a whore. The choice would've been easy for any woman in her right mind. Meredith, however, was apparently not in her right mind, because she chose to break up with one of the few great guys she had ever dated in order to have another chance with the man who never even told her he was married, knowing full well that he would break her heart again. Like he was doing now.

Meredith tried to convince herself that it was just residual jealousy; they had been married for a long time, so why wouldn't he be jealous the first time she started seeing someone new? He couldn't possibly still be in love with Addison, not after having sworn his love for her. Yet, Meredith couldn't quite make herself ignore the look in his eyes, the one that had been directed at her for so very long while he was still married, the one that was now directed at his ex-wife.

Derek finally turned his attention to his girlfriend. "Do you know what's going on between Addison and Karev?" he asked.

"No," Meredith answered a little too quickly, but Derek didn't seem to notice.

He shook his head. "Something's going on but I can't put my finger on it," he said, "I don't think they're dating since everyone at the hospital would know by now, but I think he has a thing for her. She can't possibly be interested in him, but she's lonely right now and might mistake that for genuine feelings."

"What if they started dating? Why should it matter?"

"It's inappropriate," Derek declared emphatically, "An attending should not date an intern."

Meredith stared at him wordlessly for a moment with wide eyes before he realized what he had said. "I didn't mean us," he explained, "We're different. We were meant to be. A love like ours can't be denied."

"What if they fell in love? It's alright then?"

Derek shook his head. "They can't fall in love," he insisted, "Addison would never fall in love with a mere intern. She's just vulnerable right now and he's taking advantage."

Meredith was thoroughly disgusted, but she didn't know if it was more with Derek for his blindness or herself for remaining so devoted. Derek had no idea how much his words had hurt and insulted the woman he claimed to love. 'A mere intern,' he had said; how could she be happy with a man who obviously had so little respect for her? Besides that, why couldn't he see what his obsession with his ex-wife was doing to his girlfriend? Would he ever see past his own selfish needs to realize how he was treating her? Without another word, Meredith picked up her lunch tray and walked out of the cafeteria.

----------

Addison had been aware of the interplay between Derek and Meredith but chose to ignore it. She didn't know what was being said, but from the determined, almost-angry look on his face and the dejected look on hers, Addison could guess that the conversation wasn't a pleasant one. She was careful not to look up and pay too much attention to the bickering couple; she had just about had enough of Derek's constant meddling and she didn't want any vague interest to be misconstrued for an invitation to discuss each other's personal lives.

"May I join you?" a familiar voice asked.

"Only if you promise to stop giving me those eyesores you call gifts," Addison answered without looking up.

Mark hesitated for a moment before setting his tray on the table across from her. "You have a problem with my gifts?" he asked.

Addison did a slight double-take when Mark sat down but still did not meet his gaze. _Had he just agreed to stop pursuing me?_ She always knew deep-down that Mark's heart wasn't invested in this game he was playing, that whether it was because he was chasing her to prove a point or it was simply out of habit, he really had no intention of actually winning her. She had been waiting for him to grow tired or bored of the situation; the truth was, she missed her friend, but there was no possible way for them to ever be close again if he spent every minute they shared together trying to get her into bed.

She thought carefully about her answer. "I wouldn't if they were really meant for me. However, I always get the feeling that they were actually meant for the people who are watching me when I receive them."

Mark shrugged, "I won't deny getting some enjoyment out of the reaction that my gifts cause. That doesn't mean that I'm not thinking about you when I give them."

"Please," Addison sighed, completely exasperated, "You're not pursuing me for me. Your feelings were never about me. For you, it was always about Derek."

"That's not fair," Mark replied, "I truly care about you."

Addison nodded slowly, "Yeah, I'll give you that. In your way, you care about me and I know it bothered you to see me being ignored when we were back in New York. But, our relationship has always revolved around Derek; he introduced us, we became friends because of him, and we slept together to get back at him. Without him, the two of us don't have anything."

Mark couldn't deny the truth in her words but he couldn't own up to it either. "So, you want me to leave you alone."

"The gifts have to stop," Addison stated, "Please get it through your head. It's not gonna happen between us; there's just too much history and too many ghosts. I can't be with you because we'll always have Derek hanging over our heads. Just let it go, Mark."

"I love you, Addison." The words slipped out easily but sounded empty even in his ears. Mark truly believed that he loved Addison, but even he knew that his feelings for her didn't compare to what she had felt for Derek. He couldn't have withstood the humiliation that she had to endure in the last year, nor could he picture himself in a monogamous relationship for over a decade. Though he thought the world of Addison, to the point where he was willing to fly across the continent for her and call it love, he knew that he would never be able to sustain a long-term relationship with her, much less a marriage; whether it was his nature or simply because the two of them weren't meant to be, Addison Montgomery was not the woman who would be able to tame his wandering eye.

"No, you don't," she replied, "You love what we were, the friendship we shared. And, one day, we may be able to have that again. But, we were never going to be able to make it work as a couple. In fact, we won't even be able to get the friendship back if you don't cool it with the Casanova act."

Mark slowly nodded his head. "Yeah, I guess I always knew that to a certain extent. I just didn't want to lose you, too."

And, that was the truth, because despite the fact that he knew a relationship with Addison wouldn't work out, the thought of not having her in his life scared him more. He never had many friends, Derek being the only one who truly mattered to him, so when that friendship ended, Mark had never felt more alone. It was part of the reason why he and Addison had tried to have a relationship together after Derek had left; they were both so lost without the most important person in their lives that they clung to each other in the hopes that they could fill the sudden void. Even if he and Addison had been right for each other, the relationship was doomed to fail because it had always been about replacing Derek.

When Addison left New York, Mark felt as if he had been abandoned once again. She had meant more to him than simply a final link to his former best friend; she was a wonderful person and Mark enjoyed being with her for _her_. He hadn't lied when he said he loved her; though he knew his feelings didn't run deep, he really did care about her and missed her terribly when she went to Seattle. New York seemed dark and lonely after his last friend left and it was an easy decision to follow her to the west when she called. He may never be friends with Derek again, but Addison was talking to him, and he would do anything to keep her in his life.

For her part, Addison would always have a special place in her heart for Mark. Yes, their affair had meant the end of her marriage to Derek and the beginning of years of misery, but she would never forget that it was Mark who had been there for her when she was lonely and Derek was absent. Mark was the one who made her laugh again, he was the one who would be by her side so she wouldn't have to be alone. For the last few years of her marriage, Mark was the only one she could count on and, despite their failed relationship, she would always be grateful to him for having been with her when she needed him the most.

Addison smiled softly, "You won't lose me, Mark. We may not be together, but you and I can always build a friendship that has nothing to do with Derek. It'll take us a while, but if you stop pursuing me, I don't see why we can't be real friends one day."

"Just friends, huh?" Mark seemed to contemplate for a moment, "I don't think I know how to have a friend, much less how to be just friends with a woman. Besides you, my last and only friend was Derek, and we both know how well that turned out."

"Well," Addison chuckled, "Since I don't see you sleeping with anyone I'd be interested in dating, I think we're safe."


End file.
